bargain graphics card (I think?)

Puteq

sorry if i am way off the mark on this, but it seems a bargain to me anyway, a 1GB graphics card on komplett for 150 quid. I dont know that much about graphics cards but i am looking into getting one now and i thought i would let people know, or is there something about this card that sucks that i am missing?

http://www.komplett.ie/k/kc.aspx?bn=10412

'Gainward BLISS 9800GT Golden Sample - graphics adapter - GF 9800 GT - 1 GB' EUR150

MunsterCycling

How much RAM have you and what type of OS, 32 bit or 64 Bit?

MC

Puteq

Puteq wrote: »

sorry if i am way off the mark on this, but it seems a bargain to me anyway, a 1GB graphics card on komplett for 150 quid. I dont know that much about graphics cards but i am looking into getting one now and i thought i would let people know, or is there something about this card that sucks that i am missing?

http://www.komplett.ie/k/kc.aspx?bn=10412

'Gainward BLISS 9800GT Golden Sample - graphics adapter - GF 9800 GT - 1 GB' EUR150

D'oh - sorry i may have overreacted, just came across a review that sums it up

http://www.goldfries.com/hardware-reviews/gainward-bliss-9800gt-graphic-card-review/

basically, they say the 1GB card I was looking at is good and all, but "if you already have an 8800GT - forget about this card.". the reviewer also says "I would like to take this opportunity to express my disappointment over nVidia’s ridiculous naming convention. The 9800GT is basically a die-shrunked version of 8800GT" and "But to call this version a 9800GT and yet run it at the same speed as 8800GT is damn ridiculous."

sorry for the premature post i got a bit excited when I saw a GB card 9xxx series card so cheap

Puteq

MunsterCycling wrote: »

How much RAM have you and what type of OS, 32 bit or 64 Bit?

MC

Ah ... good thinking, i know what you are going to say (I think), the fact that 32-bit OSs can't see more RAM that 3.25 means that if i already had 3 or 4 GB of RAM i wouldnt be able to see it all anyway? i have already come across this, thanks to help from boards :-)

i will be moving to Vista 64bit just so i can avail of all the RAM in my PC

MunsterCycling

Got it in one!

MC

TerrorFirmer

Not a bargain, just a normal price - in fact it's a bit of an anti-bargain alert, seeing as the exact same performance 512mb model is only 116 euro. The 9800Gt is more or less a re-badged 8800GT, and cannot use 1Gb of ram anyway, it's quite likely that the 1gb model of the 9800GT will be marginally slower then the 512mb model, as was the case with the pointless 1GB 8800GT - at best, it won't be any faster. This 512mb card for example at 145 euro is considerably faster also.

So in closing not a bargain alert, but actually a poor deal.

Jimpsta

Hi,
The nVidia GTX 260 / 280 would be a worthy upgrade

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-062-EA&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=927&name=EVGA%20GeForce%20GTX%20260%20896MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-018-PV&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1176&name=Point%20of%20View%20GeForce%20GTX%20280%201024MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail

Also if you are willing to try ATI




Most Cost effective upgrade:

Ati 4850 4870 Ati
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-100-PC&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938&name=Powercolor%20ATI%20Radeon%20HD%204830%20512MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI/HDMI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-100-HT&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=939&name=HIS%20ATI%20Radeon%20HD%204870%20512MB%20GDDR5%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI/HDMI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail

TerrorFirmer

Jimpsta wrote: »

Hi,
The nVidia GTX 260 / 280 would be a worthy upgrade

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-062-EA&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=927&name=EVGA%20GeForce%20GTX%20260%20896MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-018-PV&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1176&name=Point%20of%20View%20GeForce%20GTX%20280%201024MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail

Also if you are willing to try ATI

4870 Ati


Most Cost effective upgrade:

Ati 4850
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-100-PC&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938&name=Powercolor%20ATI%20Radeon%20HD%204830%20512MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI/HDMI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-100-HT&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=939&name=HIS%20ATI%20Radeon%20HD%204870%20512MB%20GDDR5%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI/HDMI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail

Pretty weak advice - the 4870 is faster then GTX260 in general and cheaper, the 4870 is generally 90% as fast as GTX280 and wayyyy cheaper, and even if you had the price of the GTX280 to spend, the 4870X2 can be had for the same money and is faster.

Monotype

First of all, a 64 bit OS won't make any difference here. 1GB won't offer anything much over 512MB. I would definitely go for the 4850 instead as that is much better value.

MunsterCycling

Monotype wrote: »

First of all, a 64 bit OS won't make any difference here. 1GB won't offer anything much over 512MB. I would definitely go for the 4850 instead as that is much better value.

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MC

TerrorFirmer

Actually with any 512mb card it would matter, the OP suggested he was using 4gb of ram, which means any video card is going to further take into the ram available to XP, which means if he had a 512mb/1gb card on top of 4gb and a 32-bit OS, he'd be missing a hefty chunk. I have 4gb of ram and when I was running Sli, I was left with 2.25Gb....

AlmightyCushion

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Actually with any 512mb card it would matter, the OP suggested he was using 4gb of ram, which means any video card is going to further take into the ram available to XP, which means if he had a 512mb/1gb card on top of 4gb and a 32-bit OS, he'd be missing a hefty chunk. I have 4gb of ram and when I was running Sli, I was left with 2.25Gb....

Going wildly off topic here but if you sli/crossfire 2 1GB cards does that remove 2GBs from the amount of memory the os can use or just 1GB. Just wondering as I thought with sli/crossfire that both cards have the exact same things in memory. E.g I have 4GBs ram and sli'd 2 1GB cards. Will xp show ~2GBs or ~3GBs.

Sqaull20

To save the thread

9500GT 256MB DDR3

http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=56WL&CategorySelectedId=11137&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11137,12

Play every game at decent settings for €52.

Perfect for all the new games coming out/ just out like Far Cry 2, Call of Duty 5, GTA , WoW, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, Pre Evo etc, without spending much.

seclachi

Just got a 4870, and I agree, its an insane card, I got an overclocked version too, it really is a 400 euro card for 250, I think ATI have flipped the tables on nvidia for the first time in a good while.

As for the card posted, you could think of it as last seasons card as the gtx260/280s are out. Its also worth noting that graphics cards with more memory than the norm tend to sacrifice some speed for it, generally not worth it.

richiek

seclachi wrote: »

Just got a 4870, and I agree, its an insane card, I got an overclocked version too, it really is a 400 euro card for 250, I think ATI have flipped the tables on nvidia for the first time in a good while.

As for the card posted, you could think of it as last seasons card as the gtx260/280s are out. Its also worth noting that graphics cards with more memory than the norm tend to sacrifice some speed for it, generally not worth it.

Couldn't agree more here. Bought one myself (the 512mb model) when i built a new system runs everything on high like a dream. So good I put one in my mates syetem when i built him a new one.

price for performance the card is just awesome.

TerrorFirmer

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Going wildly off topic here but if you sli/crossfire 2 1GB cards does that remove 2GBs from the amount of memory the os can use or just 1GB. Just wondering as I thought with sli/crossfire that both cards have the exact same things in memory. E.g I have 4GBs ram and sli'd 2 1GB cards. Will xp show ~2GBs or ~3GBs.

Yes it maps both cards.

seclachi wrote:

Just got a 4870, and I agree, its an insane card, I got an overclocked version too, it really is a 400 euro card for 250, I think ATI have flipped the tables on nvidia for the first time in a good while.

As for the card posted, you could think of it as last seasons card as the gtx260/280s are out. Its also worth noting that graphics cards with more memory than the norm tend to sacrifice some speed for it, generally not worth it.

Not everyone has the money to buy a GTX260/280, you can get the 9800GT for 110 euro brand new. It's not last seasons card it's actually this current seasons card but aimed at the budget market which forms a far bigger percentage then the enthusiast one does...

And more memory is absolutely worth it in any half decent card, it's a waste in parts like the 9800GT to have more then 512mb but the 1Gb 4870 is noticably faster then the 512mb model in any given game once you reach 1680x1050 or 1920x1200, which someone buying those cards would probably be using anyway. Likewise the GTX260 beats the 4870 512mb soundly at high resolutions, but both are tied in lower resolutions, with the 4870 sometimes winning out. I'm not saying everyone needs a 1gb model either but to say it's sacrificing speed for memory and not worth it is definitely not true unless you're talking about the sub 140 euro range of cards.

Puteq

Thanks for the words of advice everyone. I am now thinking about either the 4870 or the GTX260, but its hard to say, i used to think more memory = better, but now even looking at the GTX260 with its 896MB RAM vs the 4870s 512 MB RAM. thats the budget i think i could handle, both are roughly the same price ... but how do you decide???

seclachi

Puteq wrote: »

Thanks for the words of advice everyone. I am now thinking about either the 4870 or the GTX260, but its hard to say, i used to think more memory = better, but now even looking at the GTX260 with its 896MB RAM vs the 4870s 512 MB RAM. thats the budget i think i could handle, both are roughly the same price ... but how do you decide???

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/benchmarks,30.html Pick a benchmark for a game or program you feel is relevent, then pick something high up the list thats in your price bracket, then search for review to make sure it isnt a toaster oven or wind turbine in disguise.

Not everyone has the money to buy a GTX260/280, you can get the 9800GT for 110 euro brand new. It's not last seasons card it's actually this current seasons card but aimed at the budget market which forms a far bigger percentage then the enthusiast one does...

And more memory is absolutely worth it in any half decent card, it's a waste in parts like the 9800GT to have more then 512mb but the 1Gb 4870 is noticably faster then the 512mb model in any given game once you reach 1680x1050 or 1920x1200, which someone buying those cards would probably be using anyway. Likewise the GTX260 beats the 4870 512mb soundly at high resolutions, but both are tied in lower resolutions, with the 4870 sometimes winning out. I'm not saying everyone needs a 1gb model either but to say it's sacrificing speed for memory and not worth it is definitely not true unless you're talking about the sub 140 euro range of cards.

It depends, it used to be the case that cards with more memory in a paticualr family would have slower memory, meaning you traded all around performance for a bit more at higher resolutions. Checking the specs for the card will confirm which case it is, either way you`ll pay more for it, and its probably not worth it. The 9800 is based on the 8800 core too, which is definitely last seasons card

TerrorFirmer

seclachi wrote: »

It depends, it used to be the case that cards with more memory in a paticualr family would have slower memory, meaning you traded all around performance for a bit more at higher resolutions. Checking the specs for the card will confirm which case it is, either way you`ll pay more for it, and its probably not worth it. The 9800 is based on the 8800 core too, which is definitely last seasons card

It was only and still is the case with low end cards (cards with slow core and 64-bit/128-bit bus being kitted out with huge amounts of DDR2). You won't find any performance class card - budget or otherwise - equipped with large amounts of DDR2 memory, and wouldn't have for a great many years to be honest. The 'best' card you'll find with higher amounts of slow DDR2 memory would be the DDR2 version of the 9500GT, for about 60 euro.

Puteq.....what size monitor are you gaming on? For example if you look at the chart linked above, you've notice that at 1280x1024, the 512mb 4870 can soundly beat the GTX260 yet lag behind at 1920x1200 - if you were playing on a 17 or 19" monitor, the 512mb 4870 - or even 512mb 4850 - is a solid bet either way, I'd only start looking at the possibility of a 1gb 4870 or 896mb GTX260 at a minimum of 1680x1050, but more probably if you were gaming at 1920x1200 and definitely if you were playing 2560x1600.

seclachi

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I'd only start looking at the possibility of a 1gb 4870 or 896mb GTX260 at a minimum of 1680x1050, but more probably if you were gaming at 1920x1200 and definitely if you were playing 2560x1600.

If your gaming at those resolutions be prepared to drop a fat wad of cash on hardware, indeed my one great regret about my 22" monitor was the fact my computer couldnt pump out at 1680x1050, so I had to make do with the ugly lower resolutions, and in many cases there was no widescreen support apart from at native resolution.

Monotype

MunsterCycling wrote: »

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MC

My apologies. I read in an article and on a few forums that graphics RAM was on a different addressing set with its own limit and not affect the system RAM. There seems to be more evidence now to prove that to be untrue.

So - the limit is 4GB; including RAM, graphics cards, BIOS, PCI cards, etc.

Maybe this should be moved to Computers & Technology forum.

Puteq wrote: »

Thanks for the words of advice everyone. I am now thinking about either the 4870 or the GTX260, but its hard to say, i used to think more memory = better, but now even looking at the GTX260 with its 896MB RAM vs the 4870s 512 MB RAM. thats the budget i think i could handle, both are roughly the same price ... but how do you decide???

What are the rest of your specs?

Kintarō Hattori

I bought myself a 512MB HD4870 as I'm gaming at 1680x1050 on a 20" monitor and it's happy days.

Currently playing Far Cry 2 at that res and it looks fantastic and is smooth as hell though that's partially down to its excellent scaling. I'm also playing Fallout 3 and Company of Heroes, both are at max settings*and no complaints here.

* I don't have AA all the way up, I think it's on 4.